Art Appeal
by MyVioMelody
Summary: Kagami and Aomine go to university in America where both of them get stuck taking an art course. They happen to meet someone interesting and learn about more than just art. Set in an AU where there's no GoM. NOT AoKaga!
1. Prologue: What is Art?

_**Title:**__ Art Appeal_

_**Story:**__ Set in an AU where there's no GoM and Kagami and Aomine go to university in America. Both of them get stuck taking an art course where they meet someone interesting and learn about more than just art. (BL to come)._

_**Disclaimer:**__ *I DO NOT OWN KUROKO NO BASKET OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS* Although I wish I did :'(_

* * *

**Prologue: What is Art?**

_What the hell does art have to do with basketball?_

Was the question reeling inside Aomine's head. Seriously, the two are on totally different levels. Art is all frilly and complicated, while basketball; well basketball just made sense.

"Damn American universities making me do dumb shit for no reason" he growled, heading to meet Kagami at the school's gymnasium for some one-on-one. Although it was still summer their school left the gymnasium open for sports training as well as for other student use.

When he got there, the red head could clearly see something was bothering him, and furrowed his brows in question.

"Don't tell me another girl complained about sexual harassment again?"

"Shut up! No, it's about this stupid art class I have to take this coming semester," he sighed and crumpled up the new schedule his academic advisor had given him before grabbing the ball from the red head's hands and dribbling it.

"Mmm an art class?"

Kagami curiously picked up the crumbled wad of paper and looked over the blunette's schedule.

"Wait the art section is blank?"

"Yeah that's cause the annoying broad said I could pick which type of art class I want. I didn't even know there were different types!" he exclaimed with a bewildered expression while dropping the ball in order to tug at his blue crop with both hands.

Kagami and Aomine had both received full scholarships to play basketball at a well-known American university, but although being in the country and attending university for over a year, the two still weren't used to how some things in the West were run.

Kagami continued to look at Aomine's new fall schedule and remembered he had to get his own sorted out before all the important classes were taken. He already noted that he had to take the same ones as Aomine so most likely they would be in the same classes, which was how it usually went, but wait, if they had the same classes…that meant…

"Crap."

The power forward stopped mid sprint to look over at his friend whose eyes were wide with a mixture of panic and defeat.

"What? You just now realized you'll never be as good a player as me?" He smirked.

Ignoring the tanned man's comment, Kagami replied, "No, I just realized I have to take an art class too."

**~~XxXxX~~**

Something as simple as an art class may not appear very threatening to most university students, but to two basketball idiots it was one of the most frightening concepts of their young lives.

Both men couldn't even remember the last time they had done something artistic.

Kagami recalled coloring some pictures with his childhood friend Tatsuya back in LA when he was like what 6?

Aomine recalled gluing some dry macaroni to an empty toilet paper roll to make some sort of noisy instrument in preschool, but his parents had thrown it away because they said he was being too loud with it. That's what it was meant for damn it!

Or could all the times Aomine let his childhood friend and neighbor Satsuki paint his nails count as something? He wasn't the one doing the painting, but sometimes she would let him pick the color. That's artistic, right? Wait what was he saying?!

While both men were buried in their thoughts, they were making their way to the academic office to pick up Kagami's schedule and to choose their 'desired,' (if that's what you could call it), art course.

They had agreed to take the same class so that way they could be miserable and fail together…or at least have someone to talk to.

After things got sorted out with Kagami's schedule, which was exactly identical to Aomine's, the two began to look through the list of art classes their school provided.

"Interpretive dance?" Aomine snorted. "How is thinking and dancing at the same time art?"

"Pottery?" Kagami countered. "Wait Harry Potter knowledge is an art form?"

The advisor simply stared at the two imbeciles before her, stopping to wonder if this was all some sort of joke, upon realizing they were indeed just this dumb. In order to contain her laughter and to get the young men out of her office as soon as possible, she decided to help them out a little.

"Uhm, excuse me, but why don't you boys consider maybe taking a _drawing_ class. A class where you simply just _draw_." Surely they at least know how to do that.

Both boys looked at each other and shrugged.

"What kind of things would we draw?" Kagami asked. "Like bowls of fruit?"

"Or naked women?" Aomine smirked.

"Well actually yes, most likely both of those options are a possibility. Our school's drawing course offers a wide variety of objects and models to draw, in order to bring out each students full artistic potential."

"Sign me up!" And before the academic advisor could even blink, Aomine had filled in both of their schedules and handed them back to her.

"You boys have a good evening" she called behind them, as they made their way out of her office and back to the gymnasium.

"Maybe this whole art thing won't be so bad" said Aomine as he walked with his hands behind his head looking as if he hadn't a care in the world.

"Five minutes ago you were freaking out and now you're ok with it just because there might be some naked women involved."

"Yeah what's your point?" Aomine was truly confused.

"Well did you ever think that might mean there could be naked men as well?"

"Whatever, we'll be fine. Besides, we see naked guys all the time in the locker room. What would be the big deal?"

Kagami gave a small sigh, "Yeah I guess you're right," and with that they had already made their way back into the gymnasium.

"Come on, let's enjoy our last week of summer instead of worrying about some dumb old drawing class. You still haven't beaten me since it began."

Aomine then took his stance at the center of the court with a smug smirk upon his face.

"Like you said, we still have a week left." Kagami growled back, and stole the ball away before Aomine even had the chance to reply.

The two spent their last week of summer doing nothing but playing basketball, secretly anticipating the mystery that was to be their new art class.

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you so much for reading! Please tell me what you all think, I'm pretty nervous about this so some feedback would be very helpful :D

Also, who do you think they're going to meet in their new art class? Let's just say there are some interesting things to come…


	2. Chapter 1: Be the Tree

_**Title:**__ Art Appeal_

_**Story:**__ Set in an AU where there's no GoM and Kagami and Aomine go to university in America. Both of them get stuck taking an art course where they meet someone interesting and learn about more than just art. (BL to come)._

_**Disclaimer:**__ *I DO NOT OWN KUROKO NO BASKET OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS* Although I wish I did :'(_

_*Thank you for the follows and favs! I hope you all enjoy this chapter _

* * *

**Chapter 1: Be the Tree**

"Hurry up we're gonna be late." Kagami yelled.

"Well whose fault would that be." Aomine growled back.

Both boys were making their way out of the gym locker room, and hurrying up the stone steps to the art building.

It had taken them forever to locate the building on their school maps, not even realizing their school had such a thing. Once known of the general direction, both boys rushed to ensure they weren't late on the first day.

So many thoughts were swirling though their heads as they dashed through various doors and hallways in order to get to their designated class.

When they reached their destination, they both slumped in the entry way trying to catch their breaths.

"Ah, just in time you two, please take a seat in the front row." Said the busty blonde, who was their art teacher, as she then asked them their names to check it off on her attendance sheet.

Aomine grumbled his name in replay and was about to protest about sitting in the front, hating anything located within a teacher's direct line of sight which would hinder his sleeping time, but once setting eyes on his new professor, he eagerly accepted one of the two available seats in the front of the class.

Kagami took his seat next to Aomine and looked around. The class room was pretty large, almost the same size as a lecture room, but there were probably only 15 students or so in the class.

There was an elevated platform in the front of the room almost like a stage, along with a whiteboard to the left side.

The back of the room was filled with multiple storage cabinets, probably containing various art supplies, he thought, with a stack of extra chairs and a pile of art easels lined against the wall.

The lighting was good thanks to the multiple windows adorning the sides, and the view was of the large field near the back of the school, providing a pleasant view of scenery compared to most other classrooms.

It was kind of nice and intimate, and he thought he liked that.

"Now class my name is Professor Alexandra Garcia, but you can call me Alex." She smiled and adjusted her thick glasses, before continuing with her introduction.

"This is Drawing 101, where you will learn the basic skills needed to draw simple works of art."

Here everyone nodded, while Aomine, finally registering what the attractive blonde had said, realized that he was truly in an art class and slumped in his seat with a scowl.

"Now today we are going to start off with something simple." And here Alex removed the red sheet that had been covering an odd figure in the front of the room.

Much to Aomine's distress, it was a small pine tree.

"Wait I thought we were going to be drawing naked women!" The blunette snapped, which urked the teacher in front of him.

"Well I'm sorry Mr. Aomine if this class has yet to meet your standards, but how about you take a page from your cute friend there and behave yourself." Alex looked over to Kagami and gave a small nod in approval, followed by a subtle wink.

_Cute ? And was that a wink?_ Kagami thought, and in order to keep his cheeks from turning as red as his hair, he concentrated on the presence of the small pine in front of him.

Aomine, who was oblivious to the motion, continued to scowl and gave the baby pine the darkest glare he could muster, hoping his pure hatred towards the class alone would set it on fire right where it stood.

"Now in order to begin drawing the pine, you need to _be_ the pine. See what _it_ sees, and feel how _it_ feels."

Kagami and Aomine were both whipped out of their trances, and stared at the teacher each with their own incredulous look.

"You want us to be a damn tree?" Aomine questioned.

"Yes, so you'll be able to draw a proper rendition of its true form." Alex answered.

Both boys looked at each other; _She has got to be kidding_.

**~~XxXxX~~**

Despite their apprehension, and a bit of Aomine's rebellion, they stood up with the rest of the class and tried their best to _be the tree_.

Not really having an idea how a tree would act, Kagami raised both arms above his head and placed both hands together in a prayer position, insinuating a point.

Alex was making her way through the few rows of seats when she stopped in front of Kagami and Aomine.

"Nice work Taiga. I see you're attempting to model your tall structure after the pine's distinct triangular figure, and I give you props for trying."

Kagami slightly blushed, but was able to conjure up a muffled 'thanks' before returning back to his staring contest with the pine.

"And just what part of the tree are you supposed to be, Mr. Aomine?" Alex glared at the tanned man on the ground.

"I'm the frigin stump alright!" Aomine replied, which earned him a swift bump on the head along with an **F** for the day.

"What that's not fair, I was being the stump! That's a part of the damn tree right!?"

"You receive a **B** in regards to your original thinking and persistence, but an **F** in effort and overall production."

Kagami, still trying to stay in touch with his 'inner tree,' began to chuckle.

Aomine stood up from the floor and slammed his fist into Kagami's side.

"What the hell man!"

"Sorry, it must have been one of my branches." The bluenette smirked, and went back to his seat to count down the minutes till this Hell was over.

"Great job everyone! Now that you all know what it's like to _be_ the tree, you will all draw the tree. Just think of it as a self-portrait from your new-found tree point-of-view." She beamed and clapped her hands together, directing the students to each grab an easel from the back of the room and begin their lesson.

When Aomine remained seated, Kagami sighed and went to retrieve the easels, and placed one in front of his friend.

"You have till class is over."

_Great no pressure_, Kagami thought, but then again he was used to pressure.

Pressure from his coach, from his captain, heck sometimes even from his fellow teammates.

Thinking of teammates; the red head turned to see how the other power forward was making out.

To his surprise, he was _actually_ drawing?

_What the heck?_

To the left of Kagami, Aomine was drawing with such force and intensity, as if he were in one of his matches. The grip on his pencil was so tight, his knuckles were white, and…was he actually smiling?

No, that wasn't a smile displayed on his lips. That was simply Aomine's sneer, the one he saved when he was serving up special cases of revenge.

Kagami was curious as to what creation was putting Aomine into such a state, and when he leaned over to take a peak, he either wanted to laugh or deadpan.

Due to the quietness of the room, he decided on the latter, and figured he would save the other for after class when they could laugh out loud together.

Moments like this reminded him why he and Aomine were friends.

**~~XxXxX~~**

When class was over, Aomine and Kagami proceeded to the front of the room to hand in their drawings.

"So how did you boys enjoy your first day of class?" Alex asked, directing the question to both of them, yet only looking at Kagami.

Noticing her full attention on him, the red head scratched the back of his head with a small relpy of 'all right'.

"Well I thought it was stupid." Aomine bluntly stated which knocked Kagami out of his shy stupor.

"I'm sorry to hear that Mr. Aomine." Alex cooly replied, "I hope you'll decide to stick it out, if not for your degree than at least for the artistic experience."

"Whatever" Was the grunt response she received along with their two drawings.

"Just think we'll have our first human model tomorrow." She beamed at them while adding their drawings on top of the pile on her desk.

That thought only made Aomine smirk wider, as they both exited the classroom.

Upon their departure, Alex heard their boisterous laughter echo throughout the hallway, and decided to look down at their drawings.

After examining Kagami's third grade rendition of a Christmas tree, she shifted the papers to come across Aomine's…_was that…was that a_ **stump**!?

She replaced their papers back on top of the pile and rubbed the temples on the sides of her head.

"Oh that boy is in for a rude awakening."

* * *

**A/N: **Yay Alex is here! You don't see her very often in most fics so I thought it'd be fun to throw her in there! I also don't believe we know too much about her character's personality considering she was only in a handful of chapter so far, so I tried to work with what I had and I'm sorry if it's to anyone's dislike.

- There are still more friends to come, so please review and tell me what you think :D

- Thanks for reading ~


	3. Chapter 2: The Model

_**Title:**__ Art Appeal_

_**Story:**__ Set in an AU where there's no GoM and Kagami and Aomine go to university in America. Both of them get stuck taking an art course where they meet someone interesting and learn about more than just art. (BL to come)._

_**Disclaimer:**__ *I DO NOT OWN KUROKO NO BASKET OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS* Although I wish I did :'(_

_*Thank you for the follows, favs, and reviews! And now to reveal our lovely model…_

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Model**

Getting to their art class the next day was much easier and both boys actually arrived on time.

As Alex was taking attendance, the class was filled with excited whispers about their first human model.

Aomine was not one to really get excited per se, but he was anxious to see what this model looked like. If she had anything below a C cup, he swore he was going to walk out of the class!

Kagami on the other hand was a little nervous. Besides a few love scenes in movies, Kagami had never seen a naked woman before and he was embarrassed if such an occasion were to happen in a public place. He hoped Alex would go easy on them and at least have her wear a robe or something, but knowing her he seriously doubted it.

They were both brought out of their thoughts when Alex stood up to make an annoucnement.

"Ok everyone our model should be arriving shortly so go ahead and grab an easel and get your supplies ready. I have to go check on a few things, but I'll be right back."

Alex then briskly made her exit and the students began to make their way towards the supplies in the back of the room.

Neither Kagami nor Aomine made an effort to move. The red head simply crossed his out stretched legs and his arms before giving the blunette a nod to the back of the room. As Aomine was about to protest, he remembered his own stubbornness from the day before and with a glare got up from his seat to retrieve their needed supplies.

They were focusing so intently on setting up their easels properly, only being their second time and with no teacher around to help, that they didn't notice the hush that overcame the room.

Once settled, they both looked up.

Standing in the door way was a tall young man with short blonde hair and golden cat like eyes. He was wearing tight black jeans with a blood red v-neck and black leather knee high boots. He cast a searching gaze amongst the classroom of gawking students, slowly resting on Kagami and then Aomine in the front of the room.

Kagami stared as if frozen in place from the boy's quick glance upon him, those amber eyes setting his whole being on fire. _He's gorgeous_, he thought.

Aomine on the other hand glared daggers at the youth and actually thought he saw the blonde slightly shrink back in response. He did not want to admit he found the blonde man beautiful; heck that wasn't even a common word in his vocabulary! Glaring was all he could think to do; besides it came natural to him.

Upon noticing the empty teacher's desk, the young man hesitantly turned and was about to exit the room, when Alex appeared and flung both arms around his neck and planted a kiss upon his soft pink lips.

As if the class wasn't surprised enough, the public display of affection had them all failing to contain the blushes creeping up their faces.

Kagami's brain was just about malfunctioning, and Aomine appeared to only become more upset.

"Not here Alexcchi everyone is staring at us." The blonde's face was a light shade of red from the scene that had just taken place.

"Oh come on, no need to be shy." She smiled and directed the boy further in the room.

"Class I would like to introduce our model, and my adorable nephew, Kise Ryouta."

The blonde threw the class a dazzling smile and both boys swore they saw sparkles.

"Hello, I look forward to working with you all."

**~ ~xXxXx~ ~**

While Alex was helping Kise get settled on the elevated platform, Aomine and Kagami took the time to calm themselves down a bit.

The power forward stopped his intense glare to peek over at his friend. He noticed Kagami's face was a tad red, and he looked a little uncomfortable. Aomine shrugged, thinking he must be upset just like him, and then returned his watch back to the two blondes before him.

"Perfect!" Alex beamed and turned her attention towards the class.

Kise stood facing the few rows of students. He had one hand lightly behind his head, stroking his own soft locks before finally resting in place, while the other hung loosely to his pant pocket. His posture was light with a look of indifference and his eyes were glancing off to the side at nothing in particular. The spotlight directly above him illuminated his golden strands and his milky white complexion incasing the presence of a Greek god.

Everyone was speechless.

"Ok class, considering this is our first human model I want you all to only concentrate on his top body structure, so from his head to his shoulders. We will be concentrating on other areas of the human form throughout the semester. You have till the end of class, enjoy!" With that Alex descended from the platform and made her way to her desk.

Aomine had no idea where to even begin. He knew he only had to focus on a select part, but he actually found it hard with such an interesting specimen before him.

The blonde was unnaturally pretty for a guy, with his dark long lashes, warm amber irises and porcelain skin; Aomine couldn't help but stare.

The small silver hoop located on the boy's left ear was also something Aomine had not expected, it was erotic in its own way and something about it made him wonder how that cold, smooth silver would taste_ snapping out of his trance, Aomine decided it was best to try and concentrate on their assignment. Where better to start than with that exposed, velvety collar bone…

Kagami had to admit, the guy was beyond beautiful. He even thought he was the most gorgeous human being he had ever seen!

Back in middle school and high school he had a few crushes, but was always too focused on basketball to even consider a relationship, plus he found he didn't exactly know how to interact with those who made him…well, flustered.

This type of flustered was different though. He couldn't explain it, but it felt more intense as if there was some sort of gravitational pull drawing him in towards those hypnotic honey colored orbs.

Without thinking about anything else, Kagami raised his pencil to his easel and began his attempt to create what he knew he would never be able to properly convey on paper; the beauty of those mesmerizing eyes.

**~ ~xXxXx~ ~**

Class seemed too short that day, and both Aomine and Kagami found themselves actually reluctant to leave. If they didn't have their basketball club meeting next, they wouldn't mind sitting there and drawing the model all day.

"How did you boys enjoy today's class?" Alex began to adjust her glasses, but again her stare never left Kagami.

"It was ok." They lied. It was much better than 'ok'.

"Isn't my nephew just the most beautiful thing you've ever seen! I could just eat him up!"

"Alexcchi!" Kise whined, and excused himself from the group of female students that had surrounded him upon his leave from the platform, to join the trio at his aunt's desk.

"What? There's nothing wrong with being honest." The busty blonde looked up to her nephew with a pout, something she knew would have no effect on him, but tried regardless.

Kise ingnored his aunt's antics in turn of glancing at the two boys in front of her.

_They have great builds, I wonder if they play any sports?_

"Say do either of you guys play any sports?" He inquired.

Startled by the model's direct question, both Kagami and Aomine took a second to respond.

"Yeah we're both on the basketball team. Why?" It was Aomine who spoke

"Oooohhhh the basketball team! That sounds so exciting!" Kise beamed.

They were shocked by the blonde's enthusiastic reaction. Although he too was well built, he didn't seem like the type to enjoy sports.

"We're headed over there now for some practice if you want to join us." This time it was Kagami. He never felt shy when talking about basketball, no matter who it was with.

"You should go Ryouta, it sounds like fun." Alex chimed in.

Aomine looked over at his friend confused as to what the other was trying to do, and then to their teacher for throwing in her unwanted words of encouragement, and lastly back to the boy across from them to see his response.

He was puzzled to find the model's gaze turned towards the ground and his cheerful smile no longer present.

"Thank you, but I have someone waiting for me. Maybe some other time." With that he nodded to his aunt and then to the both of them before exiting the room.

Kagami was disappointed at the blonde's rejection, but also concerned. Something seemed off.

Alex's shook her head and mumbled something under her breath about 'too young' and 'have more fun.'

Aomine and Kagami didn't exactly get what had just transpired, but figured it wasn't their place.

As they were headed towards the door, on impulse Aomine turned around and asked "When will your nephew be coming back?"

Surprised by his question, Alex simply stared at him. "He'll be joining us for the next couple of weeks, unless _he_ decides otherwise."

Curious as to who '_he_' was, Aomine decided to not press the matter further. Instead he and Kagami made their way towards the gym, both lost in their own thoughts and hoping a few strenuous games of one-on-one would cure their new uneasy emotions.

* * *

**A/N:** So the model is Kise! Sorry if I disappointed anyone, but I truly love that boy so for me he is a must!

*Yeah I wasn't exactly sure what Kise would call Alex, because she is his family and they are in America so I figured her first name would be appropriate, and I believe he would respect her for her artistic talent and basketball knowledge (further to come), so I felt the ~cchi could fit.

- Sorry for the lack of dialogue, I felt as if a lot of things needed to be described here, but more talking is to come!

- Also I will be trying to update about every two weeks, hopefully sometimes sooner.

- Thanks for reading, and let me know what you all think :D


	4. Chapter 3: Of Burgers and Basketball

_**Title:**__ Art Appeal_

_**Story:**__ Set in an AU where there's no GoM and Kagami and Aomine go to university in America. Both of them get stuck taking an art course where they meet someone interesting and learn about more than just art. (BL to come)._

_**Disclaimer:**__ *I DO NOT OWN KUROKO NO BASKET OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS* Although I wish I did :'(_

_*Thank you all for the follows, favs, and reviews!_

_- In reply to **anon**:_

_Thank you so much! I'm glad to hear you're enjoying it so far, and I hope you like this chapter as well :)_

* * *

**Chapter 3: Of Burgers and Basketball**

Their walk home that day was different.

There was no rambling, no teasing, no small talk; just the sound of basketball sneakers hitting pavement, then making their way up to the surface before slamming back down.

The deafening sound of Kagami's stomach broke their individual reveries.

"Hey wanna grab a bite to eat?"

"Damn you're such a fat ass man." Aomine chuckled, and they decided to make their way to the nearest burger joint.

Across the street was a new French restaurant that all the town's food critics were raging about. It served the kind of fancy food that Kagami and Aomine had only seen on cooking shows. They usually would watch them during rainy summer or weekend afternoons, when the weather was too disagreeable to play basketball. Aomine wasn't very particular about his food so he mostly slept through many of the specials, but Kagami took some interest in the craft. He found creating something not only appealing to the eye, but to the stomach and mouth as well could actually be fun, and although it was nowhere near close to his fascination and love for basketball, he figured it could serve as a sort of outlet, plus it would be a helpful skill to have along the line.

Walking past and looking at the structure and quality of the elegant building made Kagami wish he had the funds to be able to enjoy such a treat. Not one to dwell, he figured he was young and had plenty of time to work his way up and was content with the vision of greasy burgers and cold vanilla shakes when a quick blur of gold caught his eye.

Inside the elaborate dining room of the restaurant was the model from their art class, Kise.

Kagami noted the downturn of those soft looking lips, and the disinterest in those amber orbs and he felt a sudden instinct to protect him. From who or what, he didn't know, but seeing the blonde look so upset made him uneasy.

"Hey isn't that the pretty boy from our art class today?" Aomine questioned, looking in the same direction as Kagami.

"Yeah, but he still looks upset, kind of like when he left this afternoon."

"I would be too, if I had to eat with someone like that."

Kagami had been so transfixed on Kise, he had failed to notice the man sitting directly across from him. He was of an average height with fire red hair and a pair of heterochromatic eyes, one being red and the other yellow. His posture was stiff and his aura oozed that of pure dominance.

Aomine didn't like the guy, not one bit. He couldn't explain exactly why, but he figured it had something to do with his eyes. They were **cold**. A major contrast from the warm and bright golden irises of his table companion. But more than that, they were _possessive_. Possessive of the blonde's every move, every facial expression, even his every breath, as if he _owned_ him.

Something about the notion pissed Aomine off, and he was going to give that midget a piece of his mind.

Before he realized what he was doing, and before Kagami could even stop him, Aomine flung open the door of the elite restaurant only to be faced by the startled glances of the town's wealthiest aristocrats.

_Shit._

**~ ~XxXxX~ ~**

"May I help you gentlemen?" Inquired the maître d', who looked very much offended by their average appearance.

"Umm…"

"It's okay Pierre they're with me."

Both boys were shocked to find the model himself coming to their defense. With him he brought one of his most dazzling smiles.

The man titled 'Pierre' quickly recovered his manners and gave a slight bow in Kise's direction.

"My apologies sir, I was unaware you had other guests joining your party. Please allow me to escort you and your companions back to your table. "

Once seated at the table with the now cheerful blonde and his callous partner, Kagami and Aomine realized the situation they were in.

"I remember you two from my aunt's drawing class. What were your names again?"

"Aomine Daiki, and the guy sweating bullets next to me is Kagami Taiga."

At the mention of his current emotional state, Kagami shot Aomine a vicious glare.

Kise found the red head's action enduring and simply chuckled.

"Well it's nice to officially meet you both" He beamed.

"Ryouta, are you forgetting your manners?"

At the mention of his name and in the authoritive tone it was spoken, Kise cast a glance to the well-polished marble floor, before lifting them to meet the icy glare of his companion.

"Oh sorry Akashicchi. Umm, this is Akashi Seijuro. He's my manger and the president of my modeling agency."

"Pleased to meet you Daiki, Taiga." He gave a small nod in acknowledgment to each boy and then began to observe them in silence.

Aomine narrowed his dark blue orbs in response, being reminded why he had entered the posh restaurant in the first place.

Noticing the tension rising, Kise opened the menus placed before Aomine and Kagami.

"You guys must be starving after your practice. Order something you like."

Aomine was still glaring at Akashi when he turned to Kise.

"We were actually going to head over to that burger joint across the street if you want to join us."

Both Akashi and Kagami's eyes almost popped out of their sockets!

_What is he doing! KISE, of all people, just invited us to eat in a gourmet restaurant and he's offering burgers instead!_

Kagami nudged his elbow hard into Aomine's rib cage.

"What the hell was that for Bakagami?"

The small ruckus allowed Akashi the chance to mask his emotions and continue his evaluation of the two young men in front of him. He remembered Ryouta mentioning something earlier about two boys who had invited him to play basketball, and now said boys were even asking him out to eat. There was something about their casual way of requesting Kise's company that annoyed him. _How dare they believe themselves worthy of his presence!_

They made him sick.

"Ryouta is not allowed to partake in such gluttonous activities. He has his image to upkeep."

"Well everything's okay in moderation." Aomine wasn't going down without a fight.

Now Akashi was starting to get angry.

"Sir, your vehicle has arrived. Murassakibara-san is expecting you shortly."

A tall man with pea green hair and black framed glasses was suddenly standing to the left of Akashi. He donned an expensive looking suit, _probably from Italy or wherever_, Aomine thought, and had a sort of radio device running from his ear to the inside of his coat.

Akashi gave a slight nod to ensure the man that he had heard him, but made no movement.

"Hi Midorimacchi! Would you like to join us?" Kise gave a bright smile to the green haired gentlemen who only adjusted his glasses in response.

"I appreciate your civilities Kise-san, but I have told you countless times it is not my place to dine with you or Akashi-san. I must maintain my guard at all times, the safety of Akashi-san and yourself is of utmost importance."

"Ah you're no fun Midorimacchi" Kise pouted.

"One does not need to be _fun_ in order to accomplish their goals effectively Ryouta. That is something you must remember."

And with that Akashi stood from his seat and once again bowed his head to the three youths before him.

"Ryouta, I will be contacting you later tonight".

Eyes slanted, he turned towards Aomine and Kagami. "Daiki and Taiga, it was a pleasure."

As soon as the short red head and his loyal watchdog exited the restaurant, Kise was gathering his things.

"Let's go!"

**~ ~XxXxX~ ~**

Kagami and Aomine would have never expected anyone to find burgers as exciting as Kise did.

It took the model almost half an hour to decide what he wanted, which he then changed six times.

After finally ordering their food and securing a table for the three of them, Kagami and Aomine began to dig in. Kise, on the other hand, took pleasure in first taking a picture of his burger on his latest smartphone, then staring at his burger, as if in fear it would disappear before his eyes, and lastly to taking small inconsequential bites.

Red eyes met blue, and both were at a loss for words.

"So I take it you don't eat burgers often." Aomine quipped.

"No not at all! Akashicchi never lets me eat junk food. He says it's my job to be fit."

"Well we're both athletes, but even we enjoy this stuff every once in a while. Like Aomine said earlier, it's ok in moderation."

"Yes but Akashicchi has his own rules." Something about the way Kise said that made Aomine and Kagami feel a bit troubled.

"Was he the person you had waiting for you earlier?" Kagami asked.

"Yes, that's why I couldn't go and play basketball with you guys, although I really wanted to."

"He seems like a prick."

Kagami kicked Aomine under the table.

"Fuck, what is with you today!"

Despite the crude accusation, Kise appeared unfazed.

"He may be a little cold around the edges, but without Akashicchi I wouldn't be where I am today. I respect him very much."

"But don't you think he's controlling?" Aomine pressed.

Kise gave him a quizzical look. "What do you mean?"

Aomine paused only for a second, before taking another bite from his burger. He may have undermined the extent of Kise's innocence, he found it cute and a bit of a turn on.

Startled by this realization, he stifled a quick cough to stop the heat from rushing to his face.

"So how did you become a model in the first place?" Kagami was curious.

"Well Akashicchi and I were neighbors growing up. He's older than me by a few years and he would come over and help me with my school work, sort of like my own personal tutor. He would always give me compliments and stuff about my looks, but I just figured it was because we were friends. He even told me about his mom's modeling agency and tried to convince me to give him some of my pictures, but I told him I wasn't interested. Then his mother passed away from an accident and he became the new president. Although I was only in middle school at the time, I decided to sign on to his agency, if he would still have me, and he's been managing me ever since"

"Let me get this straight, you became a model because you felt bad your friend's mother died" Aomine stated.

He fidgeted and replied with sad distant eyes. "Well I figured it was the least I could do, besides it made him really happy."

Noticing the dampened mood the mere mention of the president brought to Kise and wanting to change the subject, Kagami grabbed his tray and headed towards the trash can. "Hey there's a court not too far away, do you guys wanna go shoot a few hoops?"

"That sounds so much fun! "

Kise's excited reaction made Aomine smile, which caught Kagami off guard. It wasn't just a polite smile, it was a true, _genuine_ smile, as if Aomine took real pleasure in seeing the blonde so happy. Aomine rarely smiled…it didn't make sense.

Not wanting to acknowledge the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach, Kagami turned and started out the door towards the courts.

The other two walked behind him, with only the sound of Kise's lively chatter to keep them company.

**~ ~XxXxX~ ~**

"Wow! Who knew you had it in you Kise!" Aomine was glowing from perspiration and excitement of his own. _He found a new challenge._

Kise laughed. "I've always loved sports I just don't get to play them very often."

"How come?" Kagami asked.

"Akashicchi doesn't want me to strain myself too much. He's afraid I'll go too far one day and hurt myself or something."

Considering his profession it seemed plausible, but it still felt as if there was something more to it.

"Oh, well my home is this way." Aomine gave a nod to the direction opposite Kagami and Kise, but appeared reluctant to leave.

"…so I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow?"

"Sounds good! See ya Aominecchi!" Kise smiled.

Aomine just stared.

"Why do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Call some people by that silly nickname?" He asked.

"Oh, I only add that to the people's names who I respect."

Aomine slightly flushed, or was it the heat, Kagami thought, and quickly turned around so his back was facing them.

"Whatever. See ya." He mumbled and headed towards the path of his house.

_So Kise respects Aomine? _

This fact made Kagami feel a little sad, and a whole lot of jealous.

_Why not me?_

He and Aomine were both great players, but Kagami felt sometimes that he had more to offer than just his basketball skills, so why couldn't anyone ever see that?

He was brought out of his thoughts when a black limousine pulled up and the window rolled down to reveal the green haired man from the restaurant. "Kise-san it is time to go."

Kise nodded his head and faced Kagami with a smile. He opened his arms and embraced him in a quick hug. Kagami stood there speechless and dazed.

"Thanks a lot, I had so much fun today! I'll see ya tomorrow Kagamicchi."

And with that Kise slide into the back of the limousine as the driver closed the door behind him and bowed to Kagami before entering the vehicle himself.

Kagami walked the rest of the way back to his apartment with a new found appreciation for his infamous art class…

* * *

**A/N:** To make up for my late update I made this chapter a bit long, so I hope I didn't disappoint and that you all enjoyed!

Please tell me what you think, I would love to hear from you guys :D

Thanks for reading ~


	5. Chapter 4: Friends

_**Title:**__ Art Appeal_

_**Story:**__ Set in an AU where there's no GoM and Kagami and Aomine go to university in America. Both of them get stuck taking an art course where they meet someone interesting and learn about more than just art._

_**Disclaimer:**__ *I DO NOT OWN KUROKO NO BASKET OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS* Although I wish I did :'(_

_*Thank you all for the follows, favs, and reviews!_

_*This chapter contains mostly AoKi, because of all the KagaKi last chap. Gotta level the field ya know ~_

* * *

**Chapter 4: Friends**

Kise watched Kagami's retreating form as the limo slowly made its way down the road. He waited until his new friend was completely out of view and then sank into his lush leather seat with a small smile.

It was then he noticed a pair of sharp heterochromatic eyes glaring at him from the opposite side.

"Did you have fun on your little outing today Ryouta?"

Kise bolted upright, and quickly coughed before answering. "Uh, I'm sorry Akashicch I didn't mean_"

"You already lied to me once today Ryouta, there is no need to lie to me again." He turned and pressed the button next to his seat. "Shintaro."

The voice of the green haired body guard echoed throughout the vehicle.

"Yes, Akashi-san."

"Please clear your schedule for the next few days as you will be attending Kise to all of his classes for the rest of the week. That is all."

"Yes, Akashi-san. I will take care of that immediately."

Kise's look of disbelief went ignored by Akashi and the remainder of their drive was silent.

**~ ~XxXxX~ ~**

As the bell rang for their art class to begin, Kagami and Aomine were each already setting up their _own_ easels and equipment, deciding to let their little feud be forgotten in the midst of their mutual excitement for today's assignment.

Alex entered the room with two gentlemen in tow, one being the attractive model and the other a familiar looking gentlemen with glasses and green hair. It was obvious to everyone that she was highly annoyed.

"Class we have another guest joining us." She gestured towards Kise's temporary 'keeper.'

"His name is Mr. Midorima, and he will be observing the progress of our…_class_ today."

Everyone nodded in understanding and began to finish setting up their materials.

Aomine and Kagami gave Kise a quizzical look which the blonde refused to return, before walking towards the elevated platform.

Alex joined him in the front of the room and clapped her hands to get the class' attention.

"In correlation with yesterday's assignment, today we will be concentrating on the full upper region of the body from the head to the abdomen." She then turned to Kise as he began to remove his black blazer and his white v-neck.

Kagami and Aomine merely stared, not thinking about anything but the appealing model in front of them.

_Is it just me, or is it kinda warm in here?_ Aomine thought, before squirming slightly in his seat as the blonde continued to undress in front of them. Being an athlete, Aomine could appreciate a well-toned body, and Kise's was no exception. His biceps were well sculpted, and his abs were smooth and nicely defined. He soon found the heat surrounding his entire body, starting from his face and heading…well, south. Thank goodness his decided to wear a slightly baggy shirt today and that this class did not require any sort of physical movement aside from his arms.

_He doesn't even have boobs! Just calm down and think about something else…something like…Bakagami losing to you in basketball again! Yeah that's it!_ And with that image in mind, a smirk replaced his once uncomfortable features.

Kagami wasn't faring well with this turn of events either, instead deciding to control his new troublesome thoughts by lightly tapping his feet to an invisible tune and keeping his eyes on the ground.

When Alex gave them their time frame and descended from the platform, issuing the assignment to begin, Aomine was hesitant to look up, but was not disappointed by what he saw.

Kise stood elevated in front of the entire class, in nothing but his skinny jeans and gray ankle high boots. Both of his hands were situated behind his neck, arching his back and chest forward, while his face displayed that of steamy exhaustion, as if the blonde had just finished a rigorous exercise or a round of blissful sex.

If Aomine thought it was hot before, he was on fire now, not to mention his pants were even more uncomfortable than they had been about five or so minutes ago. He thanked all the gods he knew for his choice of t-shirt this morning.

Kagami could not even look at him. Sure he had seen shirtless guys plenty of times, but this time felt different and he could not explain why. Aside from a few glances required to effectively complete his assignment, his eyes rarely focused on the model.

While maintaining his stance, the model couldn't help but notice the odd expressions of his two friends. _They must be upset that Midorimacchi's here and they probably never want to hang out with me again. _The idea pained him and he tried to concentrate on anything other than the heavy feeling in his chest.

Alex quietly observed the actions of the three young men, and smiled to herself.

**~ ~XxXxX~ ~**

"Ok class, please don't forget to put your supplies away properly, and I'll see you all tomorrow." Alex smiled as everyone began to return their easels to the back of the room, and place their sketches on her desk.

Aomine found himself both relieved and disappointed when class was over and Kise began to redress himself as his hoard of adoring fans made their way to the platform. The sight pissed Aomine off and he cast a dark glare among the scene and watched with disgust as the girls all touched and flirted with him.

"Ladies please stand within a distance of 5 feet of Kise-san, and refrain from any form of physical contact." Midorima interjected. The group appeared slightly offended, but backed away regardless. For once Kise was relieved to have such a strict body guard, and thanked him with a brief nod before giving an apologetic smile to the cluster of girls, and heading towards his aunt's desk.

Aomine and Kagami were the last ones to finish putting away their supplies, neither of them speaking in the process. Both their minds were jumbled messes of odd thoughts and emotions.

As they were headed towards Alex's desk to turn in their assignments they noticed Kise looked even more forlorn than he had when class began. They had to talk to him, but how could they do that with his damn body guard around?

Alex seemed to sense the atmosphere and with a gleam in her eye, she set stride towards Midorima.

"Thank you for taking such good care of my nephew Mr. Midorima."

"It is my duty to the Akashi house hold, no thanks is needed."

"But you see how some of my students act around him? I was thinking, would you mind showing me a safe escape route for Ryouta in case of an emergency? I'm worried one day his fans may go too far, and I would hate to see him get hurt." She looked up at the man with pleading eyes.

Unable to reject his charge's family and a woman none-the-less, Midorima complied and led her towards the back of the room.

"I have already discovered several escape plans for Kise-san throughout the class period, and…"

As the two were trailing further away, Aomine turned to the blonde.

"What the hell is wrong? Why is that guy tailing you today? Did something happen?"

Kise looked up, alarmed at Aomine's questions and the concern lacing his voice.

"Wait so you guys aren't mad?"

Puzzled red eyes met blue and both stared to meet shocked gold.

"Why would we be mad at you?" Kagami asked.

"Well I thought you guys would think it was annoying Midorimacchi was with me and would find it troublesome to be friends with a model and…" The blonde trailed off.

"Are you an idiot?"

Kise stared.

"We're friends with you because we like you. It doesn't matter what you do, your pretty ass is stuck with us now, so get used to it, okay."

Kise's eyes lit up and a wide smile spread across his face.

"Oh Aominecchi, you're so sweet!"

Before Aomine could even blink, he felt a force overtake his entire body, and slowly realized he was compressed into a tight hug by the model himself.

Not used to the physical contact and feeling heated from the scent of the other male's intoxicating scent (_cherry blossoms?_ he thought), Aomine casually shook Kise off and cast his gaze to the side in an attempt to hide his flush features.

"Yeah whatever" He mumbled and tucked his hands deep in his pockets.

Not at all slighted by his removal, Kise kept his gaze on the tanned male and his once bright smile became a sly smirk.

"So Aominecchi thinks I'm pretty, ne?"

Aomine's hands stayed put in his pockets and began to clench in upon themselves.

_Great going baka, what a stupid choice of words!_

Upon noticing the display of affection from the corner of his eye, Midorima abandoned his presentation to Alex, and made his way towards Kise's side.

"Hhmm" He coughed. "Kise-san it is time to go, you have a photo session in twenty minutes."

"Ok Midorimacchi, but would you mind getting me a drink from the vending machine down the hall please. I'm feeling very parched." And he rubbed down the length of his neck in order to convey his message.

The gesture made Aomine wonder what it would be like to glide his own hands along that long, smooth, flawless neck and he felt a shiver at the thought.

Displeased with the request, but not one to refuse, Midorima simply adjusted his glasses before nodding and heading out of the classroom towards the machine.

Kise turned back to Aomine and Kagami in a hushed whisper. "Ok so I want to give you guys the number to my personal cell. It's the one I only use for close family and friends, and it's also the one Akashi doesn't monitor."

Aomine whipped his phone out with such lightning speed it caught the blonde and red head off guard. Becoming quickly embarrassed by his impulsive reaction, he put on an air of indifference and waited for Kise to continue.

The model slightly flushed in return and tried to retain his thought process.

"Yeah…um, it's 555-833-1221."

Kagami was typing in the rest of the digits into his phone when the sound of footsteps began to head towards their direction.

"This way we can talk whenever we want!" The model smiled.

His smile was so wide and genuine, with his cat- like eyes bunched shut from the sheer amount of joy radiating from within, it made Aomine's heart…flutter? _Wait what the hell!_

"Kise-san, it is time to go." Midorima ascended to the blonde's side and handed him a can of green tea.

"Thank you Midorimacchi! Well I'll see you guys later!" And he tossed both boys a wink from over his shoulder as he walked away.

Aomine and Kagami immediately looked away from each other, afraid to display the red covering their cheeks. After regaining his composure Aomine grabbed his things and began walking towards the door as Kagami followed suit.

**~ ~XxXxX~ ~**

Their walk continued in silence, until Kagami asked out loud, "So what do you think of him?" The name did not need to be specified.

Aomine wasn't exacly sure how to answer. He liked the kid, that much was obvious, but there was still something different about these emotions that he couldn't quite place.

"I think he's pretty cool, and a really awesome basketball player. Not to mention he's a model so he could probably introduce us to hot chicks." The last part left a nasty taste in his mouth.

Kagami simply nodded his head in reply.

"What about you?"

Kagami also did not know how to answer, so he managed with the best answer he could.

"I think he's pretty cool too, but I'd like to get to know him more."

Shocked at Kagami's honesty, he felt ashamed he was unable to be sincere with his own emotions.

Felling overwhelmed, Aomine wanted to get away.

"Ya know I'm not really up to practicing today. I'll catch you later." And with that he set out in a light jog for the bus stop ignoring the burning pain within his chest.

* * *

**A/N:** I am SO sorry for the late update! I started school and a new job at the same time so I've been uber busy and struggling for any ounce of free time, so I sincerely apologize for that.

Also sorry if this chapter was uneventful and a little short, but this is needed for the plot progression. I do have some ideas set for the future, but some parts are still a little murky, so yeah :p.

Please tell me what you guys think! I would love more feedback whether it be good or bad.

And as always, thank you all for reading :D


	6. Chapter 5: Proposition

_**Title:**__ Art Appeal_

_**Story:**__ Set in an AU where there's no GoM and Kagami and Aomine go to university in America. Both of them get stuck taking an art course where they meet someone interesting and learn about more than just art._

_**Disclaimer:**__ *I DO NOT OWN KUROKO NO BASKET OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS* Although I wish I did :'(_

_Kind of off topic, but yay Season 2 is finally here! Who else is uber excited!? Oh my goodness, there's so much in store, I can't contain myself xD_

_*Anyways thank you all for the follows, favs, and reviews! I truly appreciate it :D_

_Enjoy ~_

* * *

**Chapter 5: Proposition**

Aomine felt restless and didn't quite know where to go. He had to admit he felt bad for ditching Kagami and sort of felt bad for ditching practice, (not that he really needed it), but he wanted to just think for a second. It was then he suddenly found his body moving of its own accord, and just decided to follow it and see where it would take him

After walking a half an hour he reached an empty basketball court near the park and began to shoot a few hoops, all the while his mind was preoccupied with images of the attractive blonde. _Damn, what is wrong with me? _he thought, before letting out an exasperated sigh and heading towards a large oak tree located in the field next to the courts.

Aomine sat for what seemed like forever, and reflected on the few things he _did_ know. For one, Kise was definitely different from anyone he had ever met before, that was a fact. For another, the model had such a strong effect on him even though he couldn't grasp why.

Granted, the boy was very physically appealing, with his alluring eyes and his smooth milky white skin, along with his toned abdomen and soft pink lips; it was enough to drive the tanned male crazy! Yet there was something greater than his sex appeal, it was something deeper, something Aomine didn't care to think about too hard.

Frustrated with his own unanswered questions, he whipped out his phone and began a new message.

'**Hey**_.'_

Not really expecting a reply, he tossed the phone into the grass next to him and was about to lay down for a quick nap when he noticed the screen light up.

'**Name and password please ****(⌐■_■)**

_What the hell?_

'**Um…basketball?'**

Boy did he feel dumb.

'**Haha OMG! I was just kidding I wanted to see what you would say! ****(*^▽^****)****ﾉｼ****))**

That sneaky shit!

'**Shut up! You're such an annoyance!'**

'**Ah Aominecchi's so mean ~ ****｡･ﾟﾟ･****(д)****･ﾟﾟ･｡**

_How did he know it was me__?_

'**How did you know it was me?'**

'**I told you I only give this number to family and close friends, and seeing as I don't have many close friends and it was a new number, I knew it had to be you ****(*^▽****^*)**

'**What if I was Kagami?'**

'**Ne, Kagamicchi would be too shy to text a new friend so suddenly ~'**

The fact that he knew them both so well in such a short amount of time was kind of comforting, and it made Aomine feel a slight warmth spread within his chest.

'**Whatever, can you just stop with those stupid faces?'**

'**What's wrong with my faces ****( ****・◇・****)****?**

'**They're stupid like you.'**

**。ﾟ****(****ﾟﾉ****Д****｀ﾟ****)****ﾟ｡**

Aomine snorted a laugh. **'So what are you doing?'**

'…**um…nothing.'**

The lack of obtrusive emoticons did not go unnoticed.

'**So you're telling me **_**the**_** Kise Ryouta does **_**nothing**_** during his spare time?'**

Kise could almost feel Aomine's smirk through the text.

'**Well, no…it's…just kind of embarrassing.'**

Now he _had_ to know.

'**Come on we're friends aren't we?'**

'**Aominecchi will just laugh at me ~'**

'**No I won't, I promise.'**

'…**fine, if you must know I'm applying a cucumber face mask while watching the Lakers and the Heat game.'**

'**Hahahaha are you serious! What are you a girl?'**

'**I knew Aominecchi would laugh at me ~'**

He figured that explained his flawless skin.

'**I'm just kidding, I already told you we were friends no matter what so I don't care if you like to put vegetables on your face or whatever.'**

'**It's not like that!'**

Teasing the blonde could be so much fun.

'**Yeah, yeah, so who's winning?'**

'**No, Aominecchi laughed at me.'**

'**I told you I was kidding, what more do you want ya big cry baby?'**

'**I want Aominecchi to apologize ~'**

Aomine couldn't remember the last time he apologized to anyone, and here this kid was almost demanding one!

He chuckled lightly to himself.

'**Fine if I apologize will you stop whining?'**

'**Maybe ~'**

'…**fine I'm sorry for laughing at you, now get over it already!'**

'**Aww Aominecchi cares ****(´▽****ﾉ｀*****)****ノ**

'**Whatever, so now will you tell me who's winning?'**

'**Guess ~'**

The playful banter was making Aomine feel light and he soon forgot about his earlier troubles.

'**I'm gonna go with the Heat.'**

'**Ah Aominecchi's so smart! You should become a professional basketball player someday too. Then I could watch you on tv ~'**

'**That is the plan, but ya know you're actually pretty good, I think you could compete against me if you trained some more.'**

'**Do you really think so! That would be awesome!'**

'**Yeah it would be, that's why you should get started so I don't leave your pretty ass behind.'**

'…**so Aominecchi still thinks I'm pretty (◕‿◕✿)**

_Damn it!_

**~ ~XxXxX~ ~**

Kagami was a little worried about Aomine. He had never seen the blunette skip practice before and he appeared to be in such a hurry that it didn't make sense.

He arrived home about an hour ago and decided to take a shower and then make himself some dinner. While he was waiting for his meal to finish he figured he would call Aomine and make sure he was ok.

"What an idiot," Kagami voiced out loud in the quiet apartment as he searched his bag for his phone. Just as he was about to select Aomine's number from his contacts, he came across Kise's recently added one. On impulse, Kagami began a new message.

'**Hello Kise.'**

Shit what was he doing! It was night time now and the blonde was probably doing homework or hanging out with friends; something more important than answering lame text messages.

'**Hi Kagamicchi! I was hoping you would message me!'**

_How did he know it was me?_

'**How did you know it was me?'**

'**I told you I only give this number to family and close friends, and seeing as I don't have many close friends and it was a new number, I knew it had to be you ****(*^▽****^*)**

'**What if I was Aomine?'**

'**Aominecchi texted me earlier this afternoon so I already have his number ~'**

He what! He had to admit the thought that Aomine spent the afternoon texting Kise while he was hard at practice pissed him off. Was that why he was in such a hurry? And what could Aomine possibly talk about with a guy like Kise? The two probably have nothing in common!

'**Oh. Well did he seem ok to you?'**

'**Hm? Yeah Aominecchi was fine, but sometimes he can be so mean ****。ﾟ****(****ﾟﾉ****Д****｀ﾟ****)****ﾟ｡**

Kagami figured Aomine would tease the blonde, but he knew that's just how he was with people he liked.

'**So what is Kagamicchi doing? ∩( ・ω・)∩**

The random question made all thoughts of the blunette leave his mind.

'**I'm waiting for my dinner to finish, so I thought I'd say hi.'**

'**Ohhh, Kagamicchi can cook! How cool! What are you making?'**

'**Nothing special just come curry.'**

'**Really? I love curry! I'm actually watching a cooking show right now about Indian food and it's making me hungry ╥﹏╥**

"**You watch cooking shows?'**

'**I enjoy cooking shows very much! I just wish I could cook like them (っ˘̩╭╮˘̩)っ**

'**It's not that hard, anyone can cook if they just try.'**

'**Say do you think Kagamicchi could teach me how to cook?'**

_He can't be serious, he probably has people who can do all the cooking for him, but I'll just go along._

'**Sure, I wouldn't mind teaching you one day.'**

'**Yay so it's a date! (/^▽^)/**

_A what!?_

**~ ~XxXxX~ ~**

Kagami was a little apprehensive to meet up with Aomine the next day. Skipping practice wasn't like him at all, and then finding out he spent the afternoon texting Kise kind of pissed him off.

_What is going on with him?_

He tried not to think about it too much and continued towards the gymnasium. He had been feeling really stressed the past couple of days so he was hoping maybe extra practice before his classes would help relieve some tension. When he opened the door he was surprised to see the blunette already warmed up and completing a ridiculous dunk.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Aomine turned to the red head with a quizzical look and an exposed abdomen, choosing to use his shirt as a towel to wipe away excess sweat that had accumulated across his forehead and jawline.

"Well I figured since I missed practice yesterday I would come in a bit early today."

Kagami nodded his head. _Makes sense_, he guessed.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Aomine asked.

It was his turn to explain himself.

"Well I've been feeling a little stressed out lately so I thought some more practice and exercise would help calm me down a bit."

Aomine was never too observant when it came to other people's emotions, but Kagami was his best friend and he could tell that something wasn't right, that something was off. But he didn't just want to come out and ask him, he figured if the red head wanted to tell him that he would have already. Plus they were guys. _Guys don't do that kind of thing right?_ He mentally sighed. _Should I just ask him?_

"Hey, Kagami _"

"I knew I'd find you two basketball heads in here."

Both boys turned around in time to see Alex casually close the heavy gymnasium door with the heel of her boot and saunter up to the center of the court where they were currently frozen in place.

"Sorry for interrupting, but I have a proposition for you two."

"A proposition about what?"

"Oh Taiga I love it when you're confused, you're so cute." She chuckled softly. "But to be honest you two are failing my class."

"WHAT! It's only been like three weeks, how can we be failing your class!"

"Please lower your voice Mr. Aomine, the gymnasium tends to echo and hearing your words one time is enough thank you."

It took all Aomine's strength to not throw a fit right there.

"How can someone be failing a drawing class?" Kagami asked. "I thought art was based on the artist's 'interpretation,' so how can ours be wrong if that's the best we can do?"

"You're not failing because you're drawing skill are lacking, you're failing because there's not enough _emotion_ in your work, that's all."

"Not enough _emotion_?" Aomine mimicked. "What they hell is that supposed to mean!?"

"That's what you two need to learn. And what did I say about yelling!"

Aomine growled and aggressively tossed the basketball in Alex's direction, not intending for any impact. He was surprised when Alex was able to catch it in one swift motion, and she smirked at his wide eyed expression.

"My proposition is that you two allow my nephew to serve as your individual private tutor. He has a way of bringing out the best in people ya know."

With a delicate flick of her wrist, the discarded basketball flew smoothly through the net.

Aomine and Kagami were speechless.

"But he says it'll cost you…"

* * *

**A/N:** Well here ya go ~ I actually had a lot of fun writing the text convos so I hope you all enjoyed them as well :D And yay for Alex and her mad b-ball skills! Gotta love her ;p

I would also like you all to know that despite my delayed updates I **WILL** finish this story. I know what it's like to have a fic you're interested in not be completed so please don't worry, there will be a legit ending no matter what!

There is more to come, so please tell me what you all think. Reviews make me very happy :)

Until next time ~


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